Multipolar circuit maker and breaker



Sept. 3, 1963 E. A. BERTHIER 3,102,933

MULTIPOLAR CIRCUIT MAKER AND BREAKER Filed April 10, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 3, 1963' E. A. BERTHIER MULTIPOLAR CIRCUIT MAKER AND BREAKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 10, 1961 111/ [j ll/l/ll/l/ l/l/l/A l/I/ Ill/l4 I INVENTOR. 07/15 mm envy/[g BY W i Arrylg Sept. 3, 1963 E. ,A. BERTHIER MULTIPOLAR CIRCUIT MAKER AND BREAKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 10 1961 ATTORN EYJ.

United States Patent 3,102,933 I MULTIPOLAR CmCUIT MAKER AND BREAKER Emile Andr' Berthier, Rte. National, Villefranche-sur- Saone (Rhone), France 7 Filed Apr. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 102,064 Claims priority, application France Apr. 13, 1960 4 Claims. (Cl. 200-89) The use of three-phase current under 220 volts and frequencies ranging between 50 and 1,000 cycles in the disrtribnting mains on board aircrafits has led to investigating the structure of multipolarr circuit breaking switches protecting the apparatus on board when operating at high altitudes.

The use which is becoming more and more frequent of 380 volt voltages in cities and chiefly in small localities where an increasing number of small threephase low power motors are used makes it also necessary to resort to protecting circuit-breaking switches.

These various applications require theme of an arrangement satisfying on the one hand, the wish of the fitter as concerns bulk, rigid securing and the like, and on the other hand, it should satisfy through its electrical and mechanical data the requirements of the operator as to maximum reliability.

Small power unipolar circuit-breaking switches are already known which satisfy such conditions. Such a switch includes a setting knob, a movable releasing knob adapted to move inside said setting knob and a yielding blade carrying the movable contact-piece and which is locked in its operative position by a locking lever pivotally carried by the setting knob which is locked in its turn by a catch at such a moment. V

The releasing knob acts then directly on an upper extension'of the pivoting locking lever through the agency of a sloping surface formed on said knob.

Now in my improved circuit-breaking switch according to my invention, the setting is controlled by a knob rigid with means, such as lateral arms'extending above the setting knobs' of the mechanisms controlling a number of associated circuit-breaking switches, the number of which is equal to that of the numberof circuits to be controlled simultaneously, while the release is controlled by a bar adapted to be shifted rectilinear-1y and transversely with reference to the associated circuit-breakers each of which is provided with its own control lever, holding its yielding contact-piece in its operative position and engaging said bar of which any shifting produced by one of said circuitbreakers is simultaneously transmitted to all the other circuit-breakers.

The conditions to be satisfied by such an arrangement may be summarized as follows:

-It should have a reduced weight,

It should occupy a volume as small as pjossible,

It's adjustment should be accurate, chiefly for low intensities of a few milliamperes audit is therefore necessary for said circuit-breaker to be adjustable. v

The operation of the circuit-breaker should not be disturbed by the modifications in room temperature as long as said temperature ranges between -50 C. and +90 C. To this end, the circuit-breaker should be compensated against the action of temperature.

Its design should not allow any arcing between the poles of the phases under the action of a reduction in pressure corresponding to a 50 mm. mercury column;

The appliance should allow a manual setting and release;

It should include one or more small switches for low voltages inserted independeutlyof the protecting circuits, with a view to signalling the location of the contact-pieces and possibly, a remote control;

It should be readily removable in order to further a speedy exchange of nominal intensities;

3,102,933 Patented Sept. 3, 1963 Its set and released positions should be controlled from a distance through the opening or closing of an electric circuit;

If it is associated with a remote control, its operation should be accompanied by as little noise as possible;

My invention has for its object a multipo'lar circuitbrea'king switch adapted to be controlled manually and from a distance by an electric circuit.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically several embodiments of a tripolar circuit-breaking switch according to my invention and which I will term hereinafter a circuit-breaker. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section of the appliance;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view limited to the means correcting the duration of release and the member allow.- ing manual release;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of means for the general and individual adjustment of the bimetallic blade associated with the releasing bimetallic blade to compensate for the action of varying temperature;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are elevational views showing in two different positions the movable contact-piece adapted to signal or to control at a distance respectively the opening and the closing of the contact-making circuit-breaker;

'FIG. 6 illustrates a modification of said arrangement wherein the signalling circuit is closed when the main contact piece'is closed;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a circuit-breaking block adapted to be removed from its pedestal F168. 8 and '9 are views showing the remote electric control member for the circuit-breaker, respectively in vertical' cross-section through line 8-8 of FIG. 9 and line =99' of FIG. 8;

FIG, 10 is a perspective view of a modification of the means adjusting the relative position of the compensating bimetallic blade with reference tothe other releasing bimetallic blade; u e V FIGS. 11 and 12 are two different wiring diagrams for the remote control; a

FIG. 13 is on a much larger scale, a longitudinal cross-section of the individual adjusting means for the position of the compensating bimetallic blade;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective views and a cross-sectional View through line 15-15 of FIG. 14' of the arrangement cf the small masses balancing the movable releasing bar. k

Turning to FIG. 1, it is apparent that the same pedestal 2 carries in juxtaposition three circuit-breaking mechanisms of a known type.- Said mechanisms housed in individual casings 3, 4 and 5 are separated firo'm one an other by the partitions 7 and 8 arranged in staggered formation with reference to the adjacent casings 3 and 5 respectively (FIG. 1) so as to provide long lines of leak and to avoid any arcing at an altitude corresponding to a pressure of the mercury column approximating 50 mm. or above.

Each of the insulating casings 3, 4 and 5 housing the corresponding mechanisms provides merely the passage of the coopcratig control knob, respectively 9, 10 and 11. The position of the latter is controlled by the ceneral pusher knob 10 provided with two arms 14 and 15 extending perpendicularly to the axis of shifting of said pusher-knob with which said arms are integral while they extend at the same level as the latter.

The operation of said circuit-breaker is as follows:

The contact-piece of the three elementary circuitbreaker mechanisms are engaged simultaneously by depressing the master knob 16 which slides coaxially with reference to the pusher-knob against the action of the spring 17 so as to transmit to the latter the thrust received by it through the agency of said spring 17 which is gauged with a view to compensating the antagonistic above.

stress exerted by thespring acting on the knob'10 and 7 also by the springs acting on the knobs 9 and 11 carried along by the arms 14 and 15 rigid with said knob 10.

Thema'nual release is performed by exerting a pressure which is larger than that originally exerted on the knob 16 when the pusher-knob 10 and the small rod carrying it are already in their lowermost position. The spring 17 is thenycompressed under the action of the pressure exerted on the knob 16 so that the end of the slope 18 at the inner end of said rod which acts after the manner of a wedge, causes then the lever 19t-o rock round the pivot 21 in the knob 10 in the direction of the I arrow yconsequently the end 22 ofthe lever 19 extending downwardly so as to engage a small bar 23 adapted to be shifted along a straight transverse line, drives said bar along in thedirection of saidarrow whereby the ends 25 and 26-of the levers 27 and 28 forming part of the circuit-breakers located to either side of the central circuit-breaker 10 and engaging the small bar 23 are also I shifted in the same direction, said levers 27 and 28 being subjected to the'control exerted by the corresponding knobs 9 and 11 respectively when depressed. The release by. therbar 23 of the. levers 27 and 28 releases simultaneously the yielding contact-carrying blades respectively 29, 30' and 31. The automatic release is produced electrically inthe following manner: a

If one of the bimetallic blades 33, 34- and 35. cooperating with one of the elementary circuit-breakers or if one of the electromagnetic arrangements 36, 37 or 38 forming the releasing elements in the mechanisms of the elementary circuit-breakers is subjected to the action of ber 55 clockwise or anticlockwise, the liap 45 subjected to the action of the spring 51 describes the arc of a circle, the center of which passes through the al gned trunmons metallic blade 34 through the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 10 to be now described hereinafter. p

A flap 101 revolvably carried by the trunnic'ns 47 and 48 is rigid at its lower end with a spring 102 to which are secured the bimetallic blade 34 and also a compensating bimetallic blade 51 which cannot be replaced in the present case by a spring. Atail-piece 104 on said flap 101 carries a screw 105 the end of which engages the flap 10 1 carrying the bimetallic blade 34. Byscrewing to a varyan excess intensity or of .a short circuit, this leads to a I shifting ofthe ends 25, 22 or 26 of the corresponding levers 27, 19 or 28 pivotally carried by the correspond" 'ingpusher-knobs, said shifting which is produced simultaneously on the three circuit breaking mechanisms by the shifting of the small bar23 ensures their simultaneous release.

The spring 39' returns then the small bar 23 into its starting position so as to allow the reen gagement or resetting of the three mechanisms. 5 1

The three-phase circuit-breaking switch described hereinabove is provided with a single knob havinga double partto play, that of engaging and releasing by hand the switch. i 1

However certain operators prefer being supplied with two separate control knobs, respectively for starting and rfor stopping, chiefly in the case of the control of machine tools. In this case (FIG. 2) the manual operation is as follows: :a knob 41 passing through the insulating hood 6 carriesa coaxial rod 43 terminating at its lower end with a slope 44, adapted to urge forwardly a flap 45 which is thus caused to pivot in the direction of the arrow '46 round its trunnions 47 and 48 while carrying along with it the bimetallic blade 44 of which the free end 50-acts on the lever 19 (FIG. 1) so as to produce the release of the circuit breaker as disclosed herein- The pusher-knob 41 is urged back into its inoperative position by the spring blade .51 which shifts rearwardly the flap 45 in the direction of the arrow 52.

Since the three circuit-breakingmechanisms "are associated inside a common hood, it is necessary toprovide for a very accurate adjustment of the operation of the corresponding bimetallic blades 33, 34 and 3 5, chiefly when the circuit-breaker is to open circuits fed with small nominal intensities of say a few ten milliamperes for intance. Said adjustment is obtained, (FIG. 2) by adjusting the position of a screw 53 in a stationary metal member 54 provided with a signalling member 55 at its I cuter readily accessible end.

gThe spring blade 51 urges the flap 45 rearwardly against the screw-53 and byrotating the signalling meming extent the screw 105 into the tail-piece 104, it is therefore possible to deform the flap 101 and to obtain a more or less considerable shifting of the free end 50' of the bimetallic blade 34, with reference to the compensating bimetallic blade 51.

If the multipolar circuit-breaker is to operate in premises inwhich the temperature range between 30 C. and C., it is necessary to provide for compensation against temperature modifications in order to obtain an 57 and 58 (FIG. 3) inside which extends longitudinally an insulating rod 66 revolving inside said screws with slight friction (FIG. 13). The three screws 56,57 and 5-8 include each a fiat head 59, till and 61 (FIG. 3) provided with recesses 6M perpendicular to the axis of its threaded section, said heads being slightly clamped be tween two partitions 5-6, 4-8 or 7--3 in order to provide a slight friction. The screws 56, 57 and 58 threadedly engage the bimetallic blades 63', 64 and 65 respectively and it is readily apparent that by holding fast to the insulating rod 66, it is possible to act individually on the relative position of each bimetallic blade by rotating the corresponding screw 56, 5-7 or 58 in the desired direction by means of a stem engaging one of the recesses 60a in the head of the screw to be operated. The general adjustment of the blades is obtained by turning the head of the screw 67 which is rigid with the insulating rod 66.v V In order to produce a remote signal showing the circuitbreaker has been actually released, the mechanism of at least one of the elementary circuit-breakers may carry contact-pieces of the type illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6.

A movable contact-piece blade 69 illustrated in FIG. 4- in its release position closes the auxiliary contact-pieces 71 and 72 of an independent circuit. The same contactcarrying blade 69 is illustrated in FIG. 5- in its set position with the contact-pieces 71and 72 open.

Lastly, in the modification illustrated in FIG. 6, the contact-carrying blade 69 is shown in its set position with the contact-pieces 73 and 74 closed because, in this modification, said contact-pieces are closed for a position which is the reverse of that illustratedin FIGS. 4 and 5.

The arrangements resorted to for providing a circuitbreaker which is removable with reference to its pedestal are illustrated in FIG. 7 where the pedestal 75 shows only three apparent contact-pieces, the other contact-pieces being arranged similarly at the other end of the pedestal Y tact-pieces 81, 82 and 83 of the pedestal, the casing'76 sliding in the direction of the arrow 84.

Such multipolar or merely unipolar circuit-breakers may also be provided with remote electric control means. To this end, there is provided at the lower end of an insulating pedestal a housing 85 ,(FIGS. 8 and 9') inside which are positioned:

At its lower end, at least two half-annuli 86 and 87 of magnetic material having preferably its molecules set in a predetermined direction and a winding 88 of insulated wire inside which is housed one of the arms 86a and 87a of each of said half-annuli.

At the upper end of said housing are positioned two further hal-f-annuli 89 and 90 made of the same metal as the half-annuli 86 and 87, said half-annuli 89 and 90 being carried by a movable carrier 91 adapted to slide inside said housing 85, which carrier 91 is rigid with the rod 92 controlling the pusher-knob 93.

When the winding 88 is energized by an impulse'of electric current, the magnetic field thus produced attracts the movable half-annuli 89 and 90, so that they sink into contact with the stationary half-annuli 86 and 87. During this movement, the carrier 91 of the movable halfannuli draws along with its the pusher-knob controlling rod 92, so as to provide for theclosing of the switch constituted by the contact-pieces 94 and 94d.

To cut out the'noise produced by the engagement between the pairs of half-annuli, the periphery of the movable carrier 91 may be provided with a packing 95 of leather or the like material matching the outline of the carrier in the same manner as the packing provided for a pump piston. When the winding 88 is energized, the movement of the movable half-annuli 89 and 90 attracted by the stationary half-annuli 86 and 87 in the direction illustrated by the arrow 96 compresses the air enclosed inside the gap between the pairs of half-annuli whereby the shock between the cooperating half-annuli is braked at the end of the travel of said movable half-annuli. adjustment of said braking action is obtained by controlling through the agency of the grooved screw 97, the port 98 through which the compressed air is allowed to escape.

In order that the circuit-breaker may be released and reengaged from a distance, it is possible to cut out in the appliance the catch engaging the small rod 107 (FIG. 8) similar to that rigid with the knob (FIG. 1) and the engagement of the contact-pieces 94 and 94a is main tained solely through the energization of the winding 88.

Said result may be obtained, in particular, by resorting to one of the wiring diagrams described hereinafter:

In the wiring diagram of FIG. 11, the closing of the switch 108 produces the energization of the winding 88. The circuit-breaker is thus engaged until said switch 108 is again opened.

In the diagram illustrated in FIG. 12, the circuitbreaker inoludes a further contactepiece of the type described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. By closing at a 'distanec the switch 109 through the connections 111, 112 and 113, the winding 88 is energized, controls the contact-pieces of the circuit-breaker 110 and, in particul-ar, the contact-piece 114. The winding 88 continues being energized, even after the opening of the switch 199 through the connections 115 and the switch 116 which is held permanently closed by the spring 117.

To release by hand the circuit-breaker 110, it is therefore necessary to open the switch 116 by depressing the corresponding pusher-knob 118 against the spring 117.

The multip'ol'ar circuit-breaker described is an apparatus of a reduced weight occupying a very reduced volume. its adjustment is very accurate, even the case of very small intensities. Its operation cannot be influenced by room ternpenature as long as the latter ranges between -30 C. and |'30 C. which are the limits consistent with the possibilities of an adjustment of its parts compensating modifications in temperature. Its casing provided with a battle system cuts out any risk of arcing between the poles or the phases under conditions of pressure which are even considerably lower than normal pressure.

As described hereinabove, my improved circuit-breaker may be released and set manually :or electrically even tfrorn a distance and it includes to this end, if desired, means for signalling at a distance the location of its contact-pieces.

Although the operation of the appliance is [highly satisfactory when it is adapted to control stationary plants, the case may not be the same when it is subjected directly or through the agency of its pedestal to sudden shocks or displacements. As such a moment, the inertia of the small bar 23 (FIG. 1) may lead to a transverse shifting of the latter with reference to its pedestal and this may lead in its turn to an untimely release of the contactpieces of the circuit breaker as a consequence of the movement imparted by said small bar 23 to the lever ends 25, 22 land 26 engaging it.

In order to cut out this drawback when the circuitbreaking and making system is positioned on a movable part such as an aircraft, compensating weights are fitted in the following manner: round a stud 120 carried by the pedestal 2 .of the (appliance, there is pivotally secured Y which the pedestal 2 of the apparatus is subjected to a shock, the stud rigid with said pedestal transmits the shocks to the lever 1Z1 carrying the weight 123 and .engaging the small bar 23. By reason of the balance between the weights corresponding, on the one hand, to the small bar 23 and lever ends 25, 22, 26 engaging it and, l

on the other hand, to the small weights 123, the balanced system is not disturbed by the shocks and tollows as a unit tlhe'movement of the pedestal 2, and the absence oi any shifiting of the :bar 23 with reference to said pedestal 2 cuts out the risk of any release.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the sole embodiment of the three-pole circuit-breaker which has been described herei-nabove and it covers all the modifications thereof, whatever may be the number of separate elementary oircuitbre'akers associated inside the same casing and whatever maybe the detail structure of the means serving for the simultaneous transmission to the difierent pusher-knobs providing for the engagement of the circuit-breaker of the thrust to which the main knob is subjected or for shifting simultaneously the releasing levers when one of them has been released.

What I claim is:

l. A 'mult-ipol ar circuitsbreaker comprising a plurality of juxtaposed elementary circuit-breakers including each an elementary control knob, a yielding contactsnaking blade adapted to be set by the control knob in its operative position, a lever pivot-ally secured to said knob and holding the contactanaking blade in its controlled operative position, and temperature-sensitive means releasing said lever, a common bar extending across the lower ends of all the levers and engaging said ends to ensure their simultaneous rocking upon release of one of them to provide the simultaneous release of all the elementary circuit-breakers, a casing enclosing all the elementary circuit-breakers and common bar means including a maisof juxtaposed elementary cinouit-breakers including each an elementary control knob, a yielding contact-making blade adapted to be set by the control knob in its operative position, a lever pivotally secured to said knob and holding the contact rnaking blade in its controlled operative posit-ion, and an electromagnet including a Winding and an armature controlled by the winding and rigid with the control knob to make the latter release the lever, a common bar extending across the lower ends of all the levers and engaging said ends to ensure their simultaneous rocking upon release of one of them to provide the simultaneous release of all the elementary circuit-breakers, a casing enclosing all the elementary circuit-breakers and common bar and means including a master control knob controlling simultaneously the different elementary control tknobs.

3. A multipolar circuit-breaker comprising a plurality of juxtaposed elementary circuit-breakers including each an elementary control knob, a yielding contact-making blalde adapted to be set by the control knob in its operative position, a lever pivotally secured to said knob ment of the two sections, complete adjacent annuli, the

axes of which areparallel and perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable section, an electro- (magnetic winding surrounding the adjacent portions of and holding the contact-making blade in its controlled I they half-annuli on the stationary windingand urging,

when energized, the movable section towards it and making the control knob release the lever, a common 7 bar extending across the lower ends of all the levers and engaging said ends to ensure their simultaneous rocking upon release of one of them to provide the simultaneous release of all the elementary circuit-breakers, a casing enclosing all the elementary circuit-breakers and common bar, and means including a master control knob 8 controlling simultaneously the 'diiierent elementary control knobs. 4. A multipolar circuit-breaker comprising a plurality of juxtaposed elementary circuit-breakers including each an'elementary control knob, a yielding contact-making blade adapted to be set by the control knob in its operative position, a lever pivotally secured to said knob and holding the contact-making blade in its controlled operative position, a magnetic circuit including a stationary section and a section rigid with the control knob and adapted to move towards and away from the stationary section, each section being constituted by two adjacent half-annuli, the cooperating half-annuli in the two sections facing each other to form, upon engagement of the two sections, complete adjacent annul-i, the axes of which are parallel and perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable section, a shockdamping packing along the periphery of one of the sec:

tions adapted to engage the other section upon impact between the sections, an electromagnetic windingsur-- rounding the adiacent portions of the half-annuli' on the stationary winding and urging, 'when energized, the mov able section into movement and making the'control knob.

release the lever, a common bar extending across the lower ends of all the levers and engaging said ends to ensure their simultaneous rocking upon release of one elementary circuit-breakers and common bar, and means of them to provide the simultaneous release of all the including a master control knob controlling simultaneously the \difierent elementary control knobs. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hart Apr. 8, 1913 

3. A MULTIPOLAR CIRCUIT-BREAKER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF JUXTAPOSED ELEMENTARY CIRCUIT-BREAKERS INCLUDING EACH AN ELEMENTARY CONTROL KNOB, A YIELDING CONTACT-MAKING BLADE ADAPTED TO BE SET BY THE CONTROL KNOB IN ITS OPERATIVE POSITION, A LEVER PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID KNOB AND HOLDING THE CONTACT-MAKING BLADE IN ITS CONTROLLED OPERATIVE POSITION, A MAGNETIC CIRCUIT INCLUDING A STATIONARY SECTION AND A SECTION RIGID WITH THE CONTROL KNOB AND ADAPTED TO MOVE TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM THE STATIONARY SECTION, EACH SECTION BEING CONSTITUTED BY TWO ADJACENT HALF-ANNULI, THE COOPERATING HALF-ANNULI IN THE TWO SECTIONS FACING EACH OTHER TO FORM UPON ENGAGEMENT OF THE TWO SECTIONS, COMPLETE ADJACENT ANNULI, THE AXES OF WHICH ARE PARALLEL AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE DI- 